Preservative process for cellulose materials



Patented Oct. 29, 1935 PATENT OFFICE PRE SERVATIVE PROCESS FOR CELLULOSE MATERIALS Wallace T. Conn, Lawrence, Mass; assignor to the Government of the United States, representedby the Secretary of Commerce No Drawing. Application October 29, 193:.

Serial No. 640,351

Claims. (Cl. 91-08) (Granted under the act of .March 8, 1883, as

amended April The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States for governmental purposes only without the payment of any royalty thereon.

solution of tannic' acid at one hundred and sixty degrees Fahrenheit and then in a one per cent aqueous solution of tartar emetic.

bath gives additional beneficial preservative results. However, the inclusion of the latter two chemicals in the bath are not absolutely essential to accomplish satisfactory preservative results.

5 My invention relates to a preservative process While the art of chrome tannage oi hides and for. cellulose materials and particularly to one other animal products has been practiced for a for increasing resistance to deterioration when long time, these methods of tanning or preservaexposed in natural bodies of water or to the attion cannot be successfully and, profitably apmosphere, while damp, for relatively long periods. plied to vegetable products. My process provides a means for increasing the It is often desirable to apply to products of m resistance to deterioration of articles made of vegetable origin, such as cotton, linen, ramie, cellulose and fibrous materials such as, cotton, manila, sisal, or jute, a water-proofing material. linen, ramie, manila, sisal, jute and other vegesuch as a wax or a fat which is insoluble in I table fibers, when exposed under unfavorable water. Such water-proofing treatments do not conditions and thereby materially increasing the usually conflict with the application of my meth- 15 useful life of such articles. It is a decided im- 0d and treatments may be applied to articles provement over preservative processes considered after receiving my chrome tanning treatment by my predecessor, Mr. Harden F. Taylor, in a and drying, usually with better results than publication entitled Department of Commerce, when applied to similar articles which have 3 Bureau of Fisheries, Document No. 898. not been tanned by my method which leaves the It is a chemical treatment which will increase articles in a condition which permits a more the present standard tensile strengths and/ or rethorough waxing or water-proofing. sistance to deterioration. My invention may be used for preserving fishn y -p n i pp i n Ser. No. 624,139 lines; fish nets; canvas life boat covers; life I have disclosed a process for removing oily or belts; awnings; sailsi tents; wagon covers; toresinous constituents which I have described as bacco cloth and other textiles used for ground a "degumming process, one of which comprises coverings; sewing thread and generally to all boiling the article for about five minutes in an cellulose products which are normally exposed in aqueous solution of soap and sodium carbonate natural bodies of water or are exposed to the i followed by a cold water rinse. A solution of weather or todampness.

One f Of 0118 p cent P White Soap and The foregoing description comprehends only a p nt f s dium ar nat was f und t iv general and preferred embodiment of my invensatisfactory results- In the a e application I tion and detail changes in the process, method d c os d a me o of m rd n n mw a and compositions may be made within the scope st k was xp s d i a tw p efit a s of my claims which are therefore intended as not restricted to the specific details of my invention as disclosed herein.

What I claim is:

1. A process of preserving fibrous material which comprises treating the degummed'matem rial with a mordant comprised of a heated aqueous solution of which approximately 2% is tannic acid, treating the mordanted material with a heated aqueous solution of which approximately 1% is tartar emetic, and thereafter immersing the material thus treated in an aqueous solution containing potassium bichromate of approximately 1% concentration, copper sulphate of approximately 3% concentration,-andacetic acid of approximately 2% concentration at a temperature 01 approximately 200 F. for approximately 20 minutes.

2. A process of-preserving fibrous material which comprises treating the degummed material with an aqueous solution of tannlc acid,

, In the present process of treating fibrous material, I employ the same mordanting process and fixative treatment therefor, i. e., the aqueous solution of tannic acid followed by the aqueous solution oi. tartar emetic, as disclosed and claimed in my copending application ,Serial No. 624,139, and set forth-in the preceding paragraph, but in combination with a following treatment for the material, which comprises immersing the material, treated as above, in an aqueous solution containing potassium bichromate of approximately 1% concentration at a temperature of approximately 200 F. for approximately 20 minutes. I have also found that the addition of 'copper sulphate of approximately 3% concentration and acetic acid (thirty degrees) of approximately 2% concentration to the oxidizing treating the material thus treated with an aqueous solution of tartar emetic, and thereafter immersing the material thus treated in an aqueous solution containing potassium. bichromate, copper sulphate, and'acetic acid.

3. A process of preserving fibrous material which comprises treating the degummed material with an aqueous solution of tannic acid, treating the material thus treated with an aqueous solution of tartar emetic, and thereafter immersing the material thus treated in an aqueous solution containing potassium bichromate 0t approximately 1% concentration at a temperature of approximately 200 F. for approximately 20 minutes.

4. An article composed of fibrous material containing a mordant comprised of tannic acid and tartar emetic, and an oxidant preservative comprised of potassium bichromate, copper sulphate, and acetic acid.

5. An article of manufacture composed of fibrous material containing a tannic acid and tartar emetic mordant, and a potassium b'ichro- 1o mate oxidant.

WALLACE T. CONN. 

